The spotlight was back on rapper AKA on Saturday when he opened up about his relationship with his late fiancée Anele “Nelli” Tembe and the events leading up to her untimely death last month.

Speaking to anchor Thembekile Mrototo on The Bar Leader TV, AKA said the couple got engaged in February and planned to spend the rest of their lives together.

Nelli died on April 11 after apparently falling from the 10th floor of the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town. There is an ongoing police investigation into the circumstances around her death. 

Videos and pictures of their allegedly tumultuous relationship fuelled rumours and claims about abuse, which AKA denied in the interview.

In response to some of the claims made in the interview, Nelli's father Moses said they were a very private family and just wanted the space to grieve their daughter. 

Here are six quotes from the tell-all.

State of grief

“I’m in a state of grief and sadness. Anele is my whole life, my wife-to-be. I wake every day and I’m numb. I find it very hard to get up in the mornings and get through every day. There is so much noise around everything and it’s hard for me to get the time and peace to mourn and grieve.”

Ironing out issues in Cape Town 

“We said now that we’re together there’s a change of scenery, let’s begin talking about our relationship because we had just become husband and wife. I had just paid lobola. We were looking at our lives through that lens and how we can fix our problems and build past the issues we had in our relationship.”

Hours leading to Nelli’s death

“Things got heated in the early hours of the morning and I decided to remove myself from the situation. I decided I’m going to gather my belongings, leave the room and hopefully things would simmer down. It got to a point where we argued more and she took off her ring and threw it at me.

"I called reception for security and I kind of tried to remove myself from the situation again, I think maybe out of panic. I didn’t want to be there so I went to the bathroom and when I came out of the bathroom, she wasn’t in the room."

Not an abuser

“I am not somebody who can abuse Anele because I treated her like gold. She was my everything and still remains my everything. I would wake up every day thinking how happy could I make this person today. This was my mission. That piece, that centre of my life is gone. I loved her with all my heart and that’s why she said yes to marrying me.”

Age gap enhanced the relationship 

“It enhanced our relationship. I think it was perfect for us. She enjoyed the difference in what she was looking for in somebody. She was looking for somebody to settle down and who knew who they were. I was lucky to find a woman who was young and wanted to settle down. I counted myself very lucky.” 

Seeing Nelli on the floor

“I just started screaming ‘Oh my God’. It is something that is ingrained in my mind forever. It’s not easy to think about or talk about. I remember going out to the balcony. There was a gentleman to my left who was already on his balcony. I remember I started screaming and losing my mind. I ran next door, to where my friend was, and that’s where the nightmare began.”